Swan is said to taste fine

It is after all a close relative to geese. Native Trumpeter swans
were badly over hunted in the 19th century to the point of near

Other Ruth's point has some validity, but
flavors imparted by a meat animal's diet is
a secondary concern that in any case could
be fixed by a finishing regimen. I'd suggest
fattening the creatures on drop apples and
garlic. For shot wild, I've heard good things
about brining or a milk soak before cooking.

extinction. They are recovering slowly but are still rare and
protected. They summer in my part of the world as do whooping
cranes and they are a sight to behold. Tundra swans are more common

I've not seen either in the wild (but have in zoos,
which I mostly hate but understand the role in
species preservation of extremely rare animals).
Maybe it's time to drag Lilli up in the summertime.
She never was that into adventure travel, but now
comfort is ever more important.

but there is still no open season on them (except for a limited
season in a small number of midwestern flyover states). Introduced
Eurasian mute swans are becoming an invasive nuisance in some parts
of North America and maybe should be hunted to control their
numbers.

You know my attitude about vermin. If you can't
beat 'em, eat 'em. It'd work for pigeons and
squirrels as well, and why not other biomass
in urban areas? Rats are not intrinsically
unhealthful, and even if they were, if you
tipped them into the surimi machine, that
would get rid of that problem.

The Blind Robins were as bad as you'd expect

When Dave first mentioned them I had to look the term up as I was
not familiar with it. I found on line both packets of hideous
looking salted small herring with fins,tails and heads attached

The main issue with these that the others don't
suffer is difficulty of eating. As here they are
primarily a tavern snack, the fillets are much
more practical. Even the pickled pig feet you see
occasionally in bars tend to be boned out, aiding
the eating without thinking crowd and minimizing
the chances of lawsuits by the heirs and assigns
of those who have choked to death on pork bones.

(with beady little glassy eyeballs) and nicely and cleanly cut
salted, hard smoked herring fillets. The latter are very tasty,
albeit extremely salty. They will keep for a year on the shelf

These are still pretty gross. I think Sacerdote,
more in tune with lower-class tastes, didn't find
them quite so disgusting as I did.

without refrigeration as long as the air isn't overly humid. They go
great with beer after a long day working in the hot sun when the
body is calling out for a major salt hit. Having said that I advise
you to avoid them!

There are no doubt less unpleasant ways to
commit suicide.

A paleo-keto diet is essentially just meat and fat and leafy
greens, with hard liquor allowed.

How can the Paleo people justify liquor which is just a few hundred
years old while avoiding beer and wine which is at least 12,000
years old?. I can see Keto people being OK with dry spirits but not
liqueurs.

How can paleo people reconcile their diet with the
fact that the original practitioners had life spans
less than half of ours. I mean, rationality doesn't
necessarily have all that much (anything?) to do with it.

I can't get into people's heads, and my experience
is with modern diet faddists, some of whom I count
as friends. If I asked awkward questions too often,
such as why hard liquor is OK and nonhard liquor is
not, they might not be my friends any more. These
dietary things can take on the aura of religions.

My own answer, for myself: hard liquor is both a
delight and a prejudice. But then so is beer, which
is the worst of all paleo no-nos (because of the
intersection of paleo and gluten-free, which is
also illogical, but what the hey).

In my wanderings I've met people who have figured out how to
indulge their urges via becoming an escort or guide or travel
agent. Or work for the airlines. Funny thing about my military
friends is that a lot of them don't want ever to go anyplace
again. You of course are different.

A high school friend of my became a flight attendant mainly for the
travel perks but after a few decades the appeal faded. Once he

Some never get tired of them, others learn more
quickly than your friend. Benita eventually
found seeing new places less than worth the
inconvenience (9/11 did a number on a lot of
people's lifestyles).

learned that his pension was fully portable he bailed out on Air
Canada and did his last 5 years with B.C. Ferries as a bartender and
got to go home every night. When he retired he bought a mini-ranch
in the mountains, bought a horse, let his passport expire and hasn't
been on a plane ever since.

I could see all of that except letting his
passport expire. One really does want to
keep one's options open.

James Beard's mother's clam souffle
categories: shellfish, nostalgic, starter
servings: 4

4 Tb flour
3 Tb butter, melted
1/2 ts salt
1 ds Tabasco
1 c clam juice
5 egg yolks
2 Tb chopped parsley
1 c drained minced clams
6 egg whites
butter for the casserole

Preheat oven to 400F.

Blend flour with melted butter, salt, and Tabasco, and
cook until lightly golden, stirring constantly. Stir
in clam juice and continue stirring until the mixture
is thick.

Cool slightly, add egg yolks and heat for 2 min. Add
parsley and clams, and cook 3 to 5 min, stirring
constantly. Cool.

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold them
into the mixture.

Pour into a buttered 2-qt souffle mold and bake until
puffed and browned, about 25 min. Serve immediately.

Source: James Beard, Delights and Prejudices
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